Apakura Rūnanga Trust

28/05/2026

The countdown to our Tuakiritanga - Ngāti Apakura Identity Seminar is on!

📍 Join the kōrero: Tuesday 23 June 2026 | 7pm | Livestreamsed to our page.

As we prepare to dive deeper into our identity, we want to introduce the guest panelists joining the table and kōrero.

To kick things off, we are excited to have wāhine toa Ria Hall join us and the kōrero. Ria Hall is one of the most compelling and fearless musical voices in Aotearoa, an artist whose work sits at the intersection of culture, storytelling, and activism.

Emerging onto the national stage with her debut self-titled EP in 2011, Ria quickly established herself as a powerful force in New Zealand music, winning Best Māori Album at the NZ Music Awards in 2012.

Her sound, a bold fusion of hip-hop, soul, reggae, and electronic textures, is underpinned by richly layered vocals in both te reo Māori and English. Grounded in a deep foundation of traditional Māori performing arts, including nearly a decade with the legendary Te Waka Huia, her artistry carries both whakapapa and evolution in equal measure.

Beyond the music, Ria Hall stands as a cultural force, a wāhine Māori artist committed to expanding the horizons of indigenous storytelling on a global stage, and we are so grateful to have her be a part of the kōrero.

💬 Drop your questions in the comments about what you'd love to know from our panelists!

26/05/2026

This weekend, uri o Ngāti Apakura walked the path our tīpuna were forced to travel. Te Ara Roimata (the trail of tears) is not just a haerenga across land. It is a reclaiming. A remembering. A returning.

160 years on, we walk with their names in our hearts and their stories beneath our feet.

Tūturu whakamaua kia tīna. Tīna! Haumi e! Hui e! Tāiki e!

21/05/2026

For Antoine Coffin, rediscovering his roots meant weaving together a vast history, from the ancestral lands of Ngāti Apakura, Waikato, and Tauranga, all the way to Normandy.

But Antoine’s story highlights a powerful truth: there is a profound difference between knowing your genealogy and truly feeling your connection. Join us as Antione reflects on his journey of migration, identity, and finally finding his way home.

Watch the full kōrero here:
https://youtu.be/3DBCQZp_TfU

If you or your whānau haven’t added your name yet, or if you have rangatahi who have recently turned 18, now is a good time to take that step. It only takes about 5–10 minutes to ensure you are counted.

➡️ Register here: https://ngatiapakura.co.nz/rehitatanga-i-registration

18/05/2026

Understanding the Process: What is a ‘Historical Account’?

As we move through the reconciliation process for Rangiaowhia, you will often hear the term "Historical Account." It’s important for our uri to know exactly what this document is - and what it isn’t.

While this account is a necessary tool for justice, our true identity and history live within our whānau, our marae, and our hearts.

12/05/2026

Restoring Ngāti Apakura Identity, Trauma, Strength, and Voice with Moepatu Borell.

Raised without full knowledge of her whakapapa, Moepatu reflects on the impact of fear suppression, and intergenerational trauma that kept stories buried. Through involvement in treaty claims and whakapapa research, she pieces together the meaning behind names, places, and experiences once misunderstood.

Watch the full kōrero here:
https://youtu.be/yjG5L4dZiuM

08/05/2026

Retracing what our tūpuna endured at Rangiaowhia is never easy, but it is vital to our journey of reconciliation.

In this clip, Emeritus Archbishop, Sir David Moxon and Bishop Philip Richardson discuss the early morning of February 21, 1864, an attack on an undefended village that resulted in what can only be described as a war crime.

Watch the full kōrero here:
https://youtu.be/jPUu5Ph6JIs

05/05/2026

Nau mai haere mai kī Te Ara Roimata:

This kaupapa traces the journey of Ngāti Apakura into the lands of our relatives, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, where refuge was sought following the pāhuatanga of 21 February 1864.

Before the Waikato War, Ngāti Apakura lived at Rangiaowhia near present-day Te Awamutu, a thriving agricultural centre known as the “food bowl” of the Waikato, abundant in crops, community, and life. Despite being a place of refuge for non-combatants, Rangiaowhia was attacked in February 1864. In the aftermath, and following the Battle of Ōrākau, our people were forced from their homes and their lands were confiscated.

Many journeyed south toward Taupō. At Titi-rau-penga, Te Wano climbed to the summit to look upon his homeland one final time, where he passed and was laid to rest. Others continued on to the southern shores of Lake Taupō, settling at Waihi and Tokaanu, where many were later lost to disease.

When raupatu came and our people were displaced, Tūwharetoa provided the refuge our people needed. Those bonds were not temporary; they were enduring, and they remain part of who we are today.

Reconciliation is not just about looking back; it is about building a reciprocal way forward together.

We are privileged to walk the first part of this haerenga with Ngāti Te Kōhera, at Mokai Marae.

02/05/2026

30/04/2026

We are proud to share that Dan Te Kanawa has been officially appointed to the Crown-Māori Statistical Design Forum as of March 25th, as a representative for Ngāti Apakura on the forum.

Dan joins a select group of experts and iwi representatives tasked with ensuring that iwi Māori perspectives are no longer an afterthought, but are integral to the design of Aotearoa New Zealand’s statistical system.

Dan and the forum will tackle critical questions, including:
➡️ How iwi affiliation is collected and reported.
➡️ Ensuring data reflects the lived realities of iwi, hapū, and whānau.
➡️ Guiding how integrated data can be used safely to reflect iwi priorities.

With Dan on the Crown-Māori Statistical Design Forum, we are ensuring that the story told by New Zealand’s statistics includes the true and accurate presence of Ngāti Apakura.

📸Pictured on the far right.

If you or your whānau haven’t added your name yet, or if you have rangatahi who have recently turned 18, jump online today. It takes about 5–10 minutes to ensure you are registered with our Iwi.

➡️ Register here: https://ngatiapakura.co.nz/rehitatanga-i-registration

29/04/2026

In our final clip from her interview, Ria Hall shares passionately about the lack of knowledge surrounding The Pāhuatanga at Rangiaowhia.

The reality is that for a long time, this kōrero hasn't been widely discussed or shared. While our whakapapa speaks for itself, there is a whole faction of our whānau out there who simply haven't been privy to these stories yet.

This is our opportunity to change that. Te Kāhu o Apakura is about making sure no uri is left in the dark. It’s about sharing our history so we can move forward together, stronger and more connected than ever.

Watch the full kōrero here:
https://youtu.be/4I9hC-BmcMY?si=eSetrvO2EWLl0X_Z

27/04/2026

Songs of Rangiaowhia album, featuring the beautiful voices of uri of Ngāti Apakura. ✨

As our Ria Hall shared in recent kōrero, waiata is such a powerful way to tell the stories of our iwi. These songs aren't just music; they are a journey back to our whakapapa and a tribute to the resilience of our people.

Check out on YouTube:

Provided to YouTube by DRMWHITE HERON · Oceans Before Me · Ria HallSONGS OF RANGIAOWHIA℗ OCEANS BEFORE MEReleased on: 2024-02-21Producer: Mara TKComposer: Ri...